Dutch painter of Flemish origin, part of a family of painters. Documented as a painter in Haarlem in 1639, he became a member of the Guild of St Luke there in 1640. He was influenced by Jan van Goyen, not only in his subject-matter but also in his tonality, romantic light and use of perspective. Works of his have sometimes been confused with those of van Goyen (and occasionally deliberately misattributed), as in View of Dordrecht (1643; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam), which carries a false van Goyen signature. The brushwork, however, is looser than that of van Goyen, the trees and clouds more manneristic and the rendering of the houses more detailed (e.g. in the brickwork). Wouter Knijff is recognizable by his use of colour: steel blue in the roofs of houses and grey-black in the water. Some of his landscapes are topographically accurate, while others are imaginary, with well-known buildings placed in different surroundings. His son, Jacob Knyff was also a painter. //